Odd thing is that at times they have looked like they could bat. Broad in particular. They are hopeless at present with the bat.
With stokes, England should bat very deep. Ali’s loss of form is strange. I suspect this group is cliqued up.

Broad and Cook should be dropped for the next test. Both are gone as test cricketers. Broad has had his worst ever figures in this Perth test. Cook is clearly finished as a test cricketer.
There is the basis of a decent side there, they should blood some players now.

The speed with which it happened was impressive. From being in a controlling position 45 minutes into day two, they were behind the game at the end of that day and pummelled into the ground by the end of day three.

Similar thing happened against the Saffers at the Oval in 2012 when Steyn went through them on the second morning, before Smith, Amla and Kallis pulverised them.

I think Broad is probably done alright, his record over the last 18 months is pretty poor. He’s down on pace, and just not troubling batsmen unless there is prodigious movement available, and plenty others who would be threatening in those conditions. Time to move on.

I’d be slower to write off Cook though. There are worrying signs in some of his shot selection betraying a lack of the patience he used to have, but he’s still young enough to turn it around and have another few years. Deep down, only he can really answer if the hunger is still there. For now, I don’t see much point in dropping him given the alternatives in the touring party. I’d imagine they still see Hameed as the long term replacement.

There was a better line about an aussie a few years back who signed to play for England via the grandfather rule, in an Ashes tour in Australia which they were as usual pummelled in.
“the only case” observed an Australian journalist “of a rat swimming aboard a sinking ship”

Ok, we’re on and Bairstow is out already. To a ball that practically slid into his stumps. Why? Because the wicket is wet apparently because water got in under the covers. The Poms are filthy about it, all kinds of shenanigans, appeals, reading and re-reading of the rules. Outrage and high horses being saddled.
It’s a potentially decent smokescreen of course. If England want to look outraged they should go out and whack the Aussie attack all over the shop, instead of getting Trevor Bayliss to brief every journo he can lay his hands on. Spare us.

And there it is, Australia just get over the line to win the third test by an innings and 41 runs, take a 3-0 lead after the third test and regain the Ashes.
Are we going to bother our collective holes with the rest of this? It’s only going to get worse for England, Overton and Anderson are serious doubts for the St Stephens day test.